I was just listening to Squawk Box and and Carl Quintanilla just mentioned that Apple sold it’s millionth iPhone.
That’s not too bad for mobile device that came out lest than two and a half months ago and, even with last weeks price drops, is pretty darn expensive as far as cell phones go.
Just heard on Opening Bell that Apple may also participate in the upcoming FCC wireless spectrum auction.
Make no mistake: Apple is a big player now in the wireless industry, regardless of how some people might try to downplay that.
The sales of the iPhone have been spectacular, to say the least, for a new device and one with that expensive price point. I am willing to bet that the new price reduction spurs a surge of sales as well. Wait until they release new models…perhaps a smaller even less expensive version…perhaps a 3G version. Wait until they release in Europe.
The Apple juggernaut in wireless is just beginning.
Thought I agree. Some of us had a darn good idea of what the iPhone would do after many years of following industry leading product after product from Apple. The entire industry since january has been trying to keep up with the iPhone which is a generation ahead of all the others out there, and it’s only Apple’s first generation phone. It’s really sad and somewhat unacceptable that those in the wireless device industry for years an years have never innovated to such a high degree as Apple.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/09/10iphone.html
Thought and Hellno,
What do you guys think about Apple getting in the the wireless provider business? That’s a bit of a different route than being an MVNO on some other carriers network. If they get their own spectrum, it could be the catalyst for the entire industry changing as we know it.
Sorry, as long as it is on AT&Ts lousy network with the “tin can” sound for the calls, I won’t try an Apple phone again. I am a loyal VZW customers. Where I live… it truly is “the” network.
The iPhone was great at everything it did… except phone calls.
Robb: re Apple buying their own spectrum and doing wireless on their own: my take: it would be a huge risk, far riskier than anything else they’ve ever done. Building a wireless infrastructure and maintaining it, as well as handling all of the billing and customer service issues, is a whole different proposition than what Apple has ever done. If I were the CFO of Apple I would advise against it…it’s too far out of what Apple has experience in.
Plus, there’s the fact that ATT has a 5 yr exclusive on the iPhone; Apple would have to wait years before releasing their own device.
No doubt that Apple would come up with some innovative ideas as a wireless provider, but I just don’t see it happening. It’s too far out on a limb.
Eric…. you can be a sheep and believe whatever verizon tells you to believe about their network. However this thread is about the Apple, the iPhone and the roughly MILLION more customers it brought to the standard, open, global, GSM network of at&t. There is little to no difference between the voice quality of cdma and gsm technology. The FUD will not be accepted.
Roughly a million customers call BS on your statements about the iPhone.
Robb,
Not so sure I agree with Apple becoming a wireless service provider or a mvno without partnering with another technology manufacture or net service provider which also wants to provide it’s customers without dealing with 3rd parties. In a prefect world Apple wouldn’t have to deal with service providers:
“Apple CEO Steve Jobs said he was wary of producing an Apple cellphone because, instead of selling it directly to the public, he would have to offer it through what he called the “four orifices” — the four big U.S. cellphone carriers.”
But right now it’s saddly part of the game for Apple and it’s customers. Apple’s deal with at&t HAS changed the industry for the better. Apple makes the phone and at&t provides the service, at&t doesn’t tell Apple what the phone can or can’t do.
I would like to see Apple with loads of wireless spectrum to provide in house for it’s customers, but sure don’t want to see Apple getting bogged down in providing and maintaining a wireless network. Let the “four orifices” do the dirty work, Apple can provide the consumers the devices, AND Apple can call the shots when dealing with the “four orifices”. The iPhone is truly revolutionary.
hellno…..verizon has much better phone service(reception) in the southeast, especially outside the metro areas.
i was with cingular/att&t for 14yrs. my job requires a lot driving and i encountered many many no service areas.
i left cingular 18 mths ago because my phone service went from unreliable to no service at my home and i live in a relatively large subdivision.
verizon limits my bluetooth phone by disabling many features, but i have not encountered a single no coverage area.
i will buy an iPod touch and wait for att& to upgrade their network purchasing the iPhone.
joell, that opinion not fact. I’ve been throughout the SE and have had very good GSM service. Notice I say GSM service since I dont’ care who’s network I’m on, heck if you we’re such a believer in what FUD verizon shovels down your throat you too would know your probably roaming on other cdma networks and your calling it all verizon. Oh well keep on believing the FUD. The rest of us will enjoy standard, open, global GSM networks and our next generation RIM BB’s and iPhones.
hellno, I was with Sprint for roughly nine years… I tried Cingular… went to VZW… bought the iPhone with the intention of keeping it. Bad coverage… bad call quality (maybe mediocre is a better word?). If the call quality and coverage with AT&T I would have kept my iPhone. I had no problem with the price of the phone… I’d have no problems switching carriers. People I called could tell, w/o caller ID, which phone I was calling from because of the static and the way I sounded even when there was not static. To top it off, in many areas I would get 1-2 bars on the signal strength when VZW has 4-5.
When AT&Ts coverage and call clarity match that of VZW I will switch. AT&T gets all the cool phones (and VZW gets all the cool phones about a year or two later). I am an early adopter… I’d much rather be on AT&T. I don’t like crippled phones and and old products, but I need call clarity and coverage first and foremost.
Lastly: this may be an Apple thread… but it is on a blackberry web site… and this site constantly sings the praises of VZW.
Eric,
“this site constantly sings the praises of VZW.” Yep sadly there are still a few suckers in this world, which have no clue about the FUD and anti-consumer culture which is verizon and qualcomm. Whats enlightening is over 2.5 Billion consumers world wide DO know, DO understand and chose standard, open global GSM technology. Technology and service which is as good if not better than closed crippled cdma.
The manufactures of the iPhone, next generation RIM BB’s and Symbian phones also understand and steer clear of cdma and qualcomm. There are no “cool” phones that verizon grants it’s customers to purchase. verizons phones are sadly lacking to past and current GSM handsets and smartphones. GSM’s positives, consumer freedom, coverage equal to if not better than cdma and top of the line non-crippled devices make the global standard a no brainer.
I will say that while I’ve been one to sing the praises of Verizon’s network, that I have found ATT to be surprisingly good since I got the iPhone in addition to my BB. I’ve found in the areas I travel in that ATT has about 98% of the coverage that VZW has.
Surprisingly as well, downloading a web page on EDGE hasn’t been that slow for me. In fact, when comparing it with EVDO downloads on VZW, I have to say that in most cases I haven’t noticed much of a difference. Perhaps that’s because there is greater latency on EVDO, meaning that even though the page loads faster once it begins to load, that there is a bigger time lag in the beginning for the page to actually start to load. Also, perhaps the Safari browser on ATT processes pages more efficiently than the BB browser.
My sister also has a BB on ATT and she thinks its great. I tried it out and again, I found it to work well at least in a few areas where I tested it.
So I must say that for now ATT has won newfound respect from me.
Thought,
For you, will the iPhone ever be enough to take the place of your blackberry so you don’t need to carry around two devices?